Maslin Beach becomes film set for new miniseries Deadline Gallipoli

July 24, 20141:27pm

Deadline Gallipoli - Miniseries1:00

Deadline Gallipoli explores the origin of the Gallipoli legend from the point of view of war correspondents Charles Bean, Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, Philip Schuler and Keith Murdoch. Courtesy: Showcase Australia

The star and co-producer of the miniseries about World War I journalists and photographers, Sam Worthington, was not on location.

Also absent were British actors Charles Dance, who has whose role has finished playing his part, and Hugh Dancy, who is on a break with his wife, Homeland star Claire Danes.

Filming this week centred on the character of war historian Charles Bean, played by NIDA graduate Joel Jackson in his first major role. Scores of extras played Turks and Anzac soldiers, and horses and donkeys were on location.

Maslin Beach, famous as a nudist beach, has proved a hit with three Gallipoli projects shot in South Australia in the past year. The ABC miniseries Anzac Girls, which goes to airs on August 10, filmed its Egypt scenes at Maslin and Russell Crowe’s film The Water Diviner, about a father who tries goes to Turkey to find what happened to his sons at Gallipoli, also used the location.

Deadline Gallipoli, in which the South Australian Government invested $618,000, began filming at Adelaide Studios and has also been on location on North Terrace at Parliament House, at McLaren Vale and in Government House.

Worthington returns to Adelaide tomorrow to continue in play the role of Australian photographer Phillip Schuler with actor Ewen Leslie as war correspondent Keith Murdoch, the father of Rupert Murdoch, who helped expose the poor leadership that cost so many lives in the Gallipoli campaign.

He has said when he arrived he wanted to make a series that encompassed the whole campaign.

The miniseries, which goes to air will screen next year, is being filmed entirely in SA and is in its sixth week. It is expected to wrap in early August.